Who are the Even and when
did they come to Kamchatka? The first records by Cossack Vladimir Atlasov
and by the Krasheninnikov-Steler expedition (XVIII century) nothing is
mentioned about the Even people. There is nothing about them in the official
taxation roster of the indigenous peoples of Kamchatka from that century.

We must note that by the XVIIIth
century the Russian Siberian officials had enough knowledge on the indigenous
peoples of Siberia to differentiate the Lamut (Even) people from their
neighbors Koriak, Yukagir and Yakut. Thus, if there is no record of Even
in Kamchatka that means there were none in XVIII century.

The first mention of Even
in Kamchatka is dated to the middle of XIX century. Kamchatka explorer
K. Ditmar writes in his diary: On March 2, 1852 the most unusual guests
came to Petropavlovsk. For the first time ever here came Lamut. Four men
came to the office of Kamchatka Governor Vasily Zvoiko to ask where they
could sell their hunting trophies for a better price. The Lamut is an
indigenous people that lives a nomadic life on the Western shore of Okhotsk
sea between Aian and Izhigin. Forced to enlarge their territory many of
their clans fought their way through the Pengin Koriaks to the unpopulated
parts of Kamchatka. There they found huge grazing grounds for their reindeers,
rivers rich with fish and plenty of prey to hunt. Many other followed.
In the beginning Lamut tried to minimize contacts with local people and
settlements. They feared they will be forced to leave as intruders. Gradually
they realized that neither other indigenous peoples nor the official administration
of Kamchatka is having any intention to persecute them. They stopped to
fear and start coming to various settlements and finally began to pay
taxes by the request of the local authorities.

The author speculates that
the main reason for the Lamut to move could be the famine that raged in
1830-40 around Kolyma and Indigirka rivers.

Most of Kamchatka Even belong
to Dolgan and Uiagan clans and only a very small part to Delian clan.
Most of the Even on the North West shore of Okhotsk sea belong to Dolgan
and Uiagan clans and those on Kolyma  to Uiagan and Delian clans.

Up to very recently the Kamchatka
Even strictly obeyed the exogamy law  men from one clan married only
women from other clans. At the present the Kamchatka Even live mainly
in Pengin and Bystrinsky districts of Kamchatka.